UK military swoop into NATO country to shield against 'Russian' drones

The UK will provide military support to Belgium (Image: Getty)

Britain is providing military support to Belgium after a series of suspected Russian drone incursions into its airspace, the new chief of the defence staff has said. Brussels Airport was briefly shut down on Thursday night after drones were detected in the surrounding area. Sightings were also reported at other sites, including a military base. Speaking with the BBC, Sir Richard Knighton said that his Belgian counterpart had requested support earlier in the week, and that both personnel and equipment were now being deployed.

"The defence secretary and I agreed end of last week that we would deploy our people, our equipment, to Belgium to help them. It is important to be clear, though, that the Belgians don't yet know the source of those drones, but we will help them by providing our kits and capability," he said, adding that the help has already started.

About 3,000 Brussels Airlines passengers were affected by Thursday's disruption (illustrative image) (Image: Getty)

This comes following multiple drone incursions across several NATO countries, which have disrupted air travel. Russia has rejected claims that it is engaging in "hybrid warfare" against Ukraine's allies.

Sir Richard added that "we (the UK) need to strengthen ourselves" against "the barbaric nature of Russia's war efforts."

Defence Secretary John Healey said in a statement: "As hybrid threats grow, our strength lies in our alliances and our collective resolve to defend, deter and protect our critical infrastructure and airspace".

Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken previously said there was no evidence to suggest that Russia was behind the incursion.

"At first, drones flying over our military bases were seen as our problem," Francken said earlier this week.

"Now it has become a serious threat affecting civilian infrastructure across multiple European countries."

The German defence ministry said on Friday that it too would support Belgium with anti-drone measures after a request from Brussels.